Derrick Thompson sentenced to 59 years in prison, admits to killing five women in crash

Two years after the fact, Derrick John Thompson finally admitted Thursday that he was driving the car that killed five young women in a Minneapolis crash.

His confession and plea for forgiveness in Hennepin County District Court didn’t save him from a sentence of nearly 59 years in prison.

He will serve five consecutive third-degree murder sentences for each of his victims: Sabiriin Ali, 17; Sahra Gesaade, 20; Salma Abdikadir, 20; Sagal Hersi, 19; and Siham Adam, 19.

For the first time, Thompson, 29, spoke publicly about the 2023 crash before receiving his sentence, begging for mercy and saying he never wanted to go to trial but had no choice. He turned to the courtroom gallery, filled with family members and friends of the victims, and said he was sorry for what he did.

“There is not a day I don’t ask God why he didn’t take me instead and let your beautiful angels still be here,” Thompson said.

No forgiveness was extended to him. The victims’ friends and family tore into Thompson for his selfishness in waiting until the last minute to admit his crimes and putting them through two trials.

He was called a “loser” and an inhumane person who lacked remorse and whose decisions leading to the crash made it anything but an accident.

Thompson was found guilty last month of 15 felonies — five of third-degree murder, 10 of criminal vehicular homicide — after a weeklong trial and jury deliberations that lasted more than two days.

“I hope reality suffocates you for the rest of your life,” said Sundus Odhowa, Siham’s older sister. “You should never know freedom again. You should never know peace.”

Sundus Ali, Sabiriin’s older sister, said that whatever responsibility Thompson admitted to on Thursday was calculated and lacked honesty.

“For over two years, he refused to take responsibility for what he did, sitting there with that smug look on his face,” she said, turning to look at Thompson. “He put our family through so much. He just sits there looking like that.”

The only defense Thompson presented in the trial was the claim that his brother, Damarco Thompson, was driving at the time of the crash. Prosecutors then called Damarco Thompson to the stand, who testified he was not in the car and that his brother was the driver.

His attorney, Tyler Bliss, said the sentences should be concurrent because the crash was a single event involving multiple victims and not intentional murder. He said prosecutors couldn’t point to a single case in Minnesota history to provide precedent for consecutive sentences.

Lamas sided with prosecutors and sentenced Thompson for the deaths of each of his victims.

The five young women were recalled as deeply invested in the Somali community and devout Muslims who volunteered at the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center. They were graduating from high school and college, and entering the prime of their lives the night they were killed.

The five had grown up together — family by birth, friends by choice. Their deaths have left broken homes that were once vibrant with laughter. Families have settled into a painful silence.

In their community, weddings, graduations and successes are left with tinges of heartbreak.

Yusra Ali, one of the victims’ closest friends, asked Lamas to give Thompson the most severe sentence possible.

“These were girls with big hearts, big dreams and bright futures,” Ali said. “Their loss is not just emotional; it’s deeply personal to everyone who knew them.”

Thompson said he walked into court every day wanting to make eye contact with the family members of his victims, hoping they could glimpse the sorrow in his eyes.

“I am truly sorry to the families of these five beautiful young women,” he said. “Sorry for the heartbreak I have caused with my actions.”

The decision to stand trial was a calculated risk for Thompson. Last year, prosecutors offered him a deal: Plead guilty to five counts of criminal vehicular manslaughter and be sentenced to between 32 and 38 years in prison. In Minnesota, he would have had the opportunity for supervised release after 21 to 25 years with good behavior.